i notice some soft brown stuffs coming out of my driftwood.. what can eat those? snails? otto? algae eater? plecos (im not sure about plecos for i know they give you big craps than turns your aquarium a lot more dirty..)

and i want to know the difference(pros and cons) between otto and algae eaters.

You'll have sand, so why not malaysian trumpet snail (sometimes called MTS). They are a burrowing species of snail that come out at night to eat algae. I've also noticed mine munching on driftwood and any kind of stuff that grows on it. They're all the algae control I need in my tanks.

A bit about the difference between oto catfish and algae eaters (I'm assuming you mean Siamese algae eater <-- click the shaded name for pictures). Otos are much better at algae control than Siamese algae eaters (also Siamese algae eaters aren't from South America). The other problem with SAE is that there are like 3 species traded under that name. Only one actually eats algae at all, and the other two can be kinda mean. Not really something I'd want with discus in the tank. A word of caution about otos is that I've heard some discus keepers say they've seen otos sucking on the slime coats of discus (I've wanted a tank like yours for a while, so I've done a bit of looking into algae control, too).

If you're looking for a bit of flare, you could also look at the twig catfish (again click on the name for some pictures). It's an oddball related to plecos. And I've heard a discus keepers say it has too much trouble swimming to latch onto a discus' slime coat. A slightly larger version of the twig catfish is the royal farlowella (Sturistoma sp). Just another idea!

Byron

10-17-2012 06:06 PM

I remember that thread on the tank, with all the lovely wood branches. Ideal Amazonian aquascape.

First, we should identify this "brown stuff" on the wood. It may be diatoms as this is a new setup, and they will (or should) dissipate in 2-3 months. Some of the "algae eating" fish will eat them, some will not. Diatoms easily come off with your finger. Perhaps you could give us a close-up clear photo?

Generally speaking, green and red algae is not a problem without plants (in the substrate I mean). These algae perform much the same role as plants, using nutrients including ammonia/ammonium and organics to photosynthesize and produce oxygen. In a tank without plants, I would not worry about any green or red algae. [Again, we need to ID the brown, just in case.]

I also strongly advocated floating plants in that thread, and they will reduce the light a lot so algae won't be much of a bother anyway. Plus these fish will all be much more comfortable with floating plants. Forest fish do not appreciate an open surface.

As Izzy mentioned, I would agree on Farlowella vittata in this setup. Check our profile (click the shaded name). This is an ideal fish to add real interest and it is extremely peaceful. One of my favourites; I have raised a couple generations of fry too, most interesting.

Byron.

squishylittlefishies

10-17-2012 06:37 PM

:-DYES! SHRIMP! shrimp shrimp shrimp. it is a really good idea to have some shrimps. I would recomend amano shrimp. they will eat like anything. they do a great job cleaning all the slimy goo from even the tiniest holes in my driftwood. plus they live a really long time, unlike many other shrimp. if you want someyhing cheaper then do ghost shrimp. they are only like 30 cents and do a pretty good job too. as for otos, they are totally adorable plus they are hard workers. keep in mind that they are nocturnal, so they won't be very active during the day. the main difference between these guys and other algae eaters is that they stay around 1 inch in size and have a very small bio load. hope that was useful!

Maestro08

10-17-2012 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekoimaiden
(Post 1277959)

You'll have sand, so why not malaysian trumpet snail (sometimes called MTS). They are a burrowing species of snail that come out at night to eat algae. I've also noticed mine munching on driftwood and any kind of stuff that grows on it. They're all the algae control I need in my tanks.

A bit about the difference between oto catfish and algae eaters (I'm assuming you mean Siamese algae eater <-- click the shaded name for pictures). Otos are much better at algae control than Siamese algae eaters (also Siamese algae eaters aren't from South America). The other problem with SAE is that there are like 3 species traded under that name. Only one actually eats algae at all, and the other two can be kinda mean. Not really something I'd want with discus in the tank. A word of caution about otos is that I've heard some discus keepers say they've seen otos sucking on the slime coats of discus (I've wanted a tank like yours for a while, so I've done a bit of looking into algae control, too).

If you're looking for a bit of flare, you could also look at the twig catfish (again click on the name for some pictures). It's an oddball related to plecos. And I've heard a discus keepers say it has too much trouble swimming to latch onto a discus' slime coat. A slightly larger version of the twig catfish is the royal farlowella (Sturistoma sp). Just another idea!

of all that you mentioned, i think the only available specie here in my country are the ottos.. the snails that we have are a bit different, its small and has a round shell, not the MTS type.. for the plecos, we have the common plecos and bristlenose, which is a little expensive.. and im afraid that plecos will poop more rather than clean more, so im a little negative about them..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byron
(Post 1278203)

I remember that thread on the tank, with all the lovely wood branches. Ideal Amazonian aquascape.

First, we should identify this "brown stuff" on the wood. It may be diatoms as this is a new setup, and they will (or should) dissipate in 2-3 months. Some of the "algae eating" fish will eat them, some will not. Diatoms easily come off with your finger. Perhaps you could give us a close-up clear photo?

Generally speaking, green and red algae is not a problem without plants (in the substrate I mean). These algae perform much the same role as plants, using nutrients including ammonia/ammonium and organics to photosynthesize and produce oxygen. In a tank without plants, I would not worry about any green or red algae. [Again, we need to ID the brown, just in case.]

I also strongly advocated floating plants in that thread, and they will reduce the light a lot so algae won't be much of a bother anyway. Plus these fish will all be much more comfortable with floating plants. Forest fish do not appreciate an open surface.

As Izzy mentioned, I would agree on Farlowella vittata in this setup. Check our profile (click the shaded name). This is an ideal fish to add real interest and it is extremely peaceful. One of my favourites; I have raised a couple generations of fry too, most interesting.

Byron.

you got it again byron, they are diatoms indeed, i tried scrubbing my finger and they are coming off easy.. floating plants are on their way already, ordered some already :) also, what do you usually wrap around the driftwood that has very very low light requirements? is it the java moss or the fern moss? im thinking of wrapping some of the driftwoods with it.. :) thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by squishylittlefishies
(Post 1278251)

:-DYES! SHRIMP! shrimp shrimp shrimp. it is a really good idea to have some shrimps. I would recomend amano shrimp. they will eat like anything. they do a great job cleaning all the slimy goo from even the tiniest holes in my driftwood. plus they live a really long time, unlike many other shrimp. if you want someyhing cheaper then do ghost shrimp. they are only like 30 cents and do a pretty good job too. as for otos, they are totally adorable plus they are hard workers. keep in mind that they are nocturnal, so they won't be very active during the day. the main difference between these guys and other algae eaters is that they stay around 1 inch in size and have a very small bio load. hope that was useful!

YES! il be getting some shrimps as well, but i hope they'll roam around my tank for i have lots of tetras inside my tank.. hope they wont get scared or something... and i dont think amano shrimps or ghost shrimps are available in out LFS.. so i just might stick with red cherry shrimps..

how many ottos should i put? i honestly dont like how they look though.. so i wanna keep it on a low number.. my tank is 100gal :)

1077

10-18-2012 07:48 AM

If you don't have algae for the otocinclus, then I might not consider them.
Algae is their primary food, and considering that these fishes are still largely wild caught,, they somtimes don't adapt well to prepared food's/vegetable matter.
I might consider smaller loaches if you can source them,or forego bottom dweller's.
Bristlernose is often found in tank's holding(Discus?) and one would not create too much waste in larger tank's.
I personally believe the Bristlenose is more comfortable at cooler temps than Discus enjoy, but other's seem to keep them in these warm temps without issues.

Byron

10-18-2012 11:58 AM

I agree (with 1077). And I would go farther and not recommend Bristlenose in tanks as warm as 82F for discus (I gave 81F as the upper limit in the profile, and one should if possible try to keep a species below their upper limit, it is just better.

To your pant question, Java Moss will thrive on the wood in low light once it is established. I pull this stuff out by the handful maybe every 4 weeks. Java Fern might also do OK.

Byron.

squishylittlefishies

10-18-2012 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maestro08
(Post 1278481)

YES! il be getting some shrimps as well, but i hope they'll roam around my tank for i have lots of tetras inside my tank.. hope they wont get scared or something... and i dont think amano shrimps or ghost shrimps are available in out LFS.. so i just might stick with red cherry shrimps..

how many ottos should i put? i honestly dont like how they look though.. so i wanna keep it on a low number.. my tank is 100gal :)

I would do at least 4 or 5 otos as they do like company, you might want more though so they will be more effective. cherry shrimp are good, probably better than ghosties as they are less agressive. cherry shrimp like to be in groups too, so if you have more they won't hide and may even swim upside down on the surface. amano shrimp are pretty hard to find, yes...oh well. the snails you have with the rounded shells are probably apple snails or possibly ordinary pond snails.
good luck!